Supervising Park Ranger Scott Fegley talks to mountain biker Philip DeRose of Rancho Santa Margarita about the recent mountain lion sighting at Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park. DeRose says he rides the trails frequently. "It's best to be riding in the day when it's hot and they are sleeping. They are smarter than we are," he joked. MINDY SCHAUER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Mark Piland and his dad, Randy, of Foothill Ranch try to find mountain lion tracks near where one was photographed at Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park last Friday. Randy said he also saw one in the trees on Monday. MINDY SCHAUER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Randy Piland puts his hand next to a print he finds in the sand off a trail where a mountain lion was photograped last Friday at Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park. Park rangers identified it as a coyote's or a dog's because of the nails at the tip. MINDY SCHAUER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park hikers with Trail Angels, Sandy Awerkami, from left, Robin Wun and Cheryl Larsen walk near the area where a mountain lion was photographed in a tree last Monday. Their group encourages women to hike and ride together for safety. MINDY SCHAUER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

This photo of a mountain lion sitting in a tree in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park has been circulating on social media the last few days. According to the post, it was taken on the Borrego Trail, 100 yards from the trailhead off of Portola Parkway. COURTESY OF SOCALTRAILRIDERS.ORG MEMBER KRISHNO22

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This photo of a mountain lion sitting in a tree in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park has been circulating on social media the last few days. According to the post, it was taken on the Borrego Trail, 100 yards from the trailhead off of Portola Parkway. COURTESY OF SOCALTRAILRIDERS.ORG MEMBER KRISHNO22

In the past couple of weeks, though, the biking community has been spreading the word about multiple mountain lion sightings in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park and surrounding areas. That has some riders on edge, Groff said, making them think twice before heading out on their usual trails.

“There are other places to go,” said Groff, who works at The Path Bike Shop in Trabuco Canyon. “Why tempt fate?”

OC Parks issued a warning after two recent reports of mountain lion sightings at Whiting Ranch, said Steve Aleshire, a senior park ranger.

On Friday night, he said a woman in her backyard heard two young men yelling that they'd seen a mountain lion before she spotted the cat herself. Then on Saturday afternoon, Aleshire said, OC Parks received a photo of a mountain lion in a tree limb on the same trail.

“The behavior was atypical due to the closeness of the lion to the trail,” he said. “In this case, it was relatively close to one of the most highly traveled trails in the park.”

California Department of Fish and Wildlife officers joined OC Parks rangers and county animal control officers in combing the area, but found just one print from a juvenile mountain lion, Fish and Wildlife spokesman Andrew Hughan said.

Though the 2,500-acre park east of Foothill Ranch remains open, officials posted warning signs and stepped up patrols. Rangers also set up two infrared cameras along a trail Monday to monitor activity, Aleshire said, but no signs had been registered by Tuesday evening.

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There are an estimated 15 to 27 adult mountain lions in the entire Santa Ana Mountain range, said Winston Vickers, researcher for the Wildlife Health Center at UC Davis.

Though several South County communities were developed inside mountain lion territory, Aleshire said even spotting one of the big cats is “fairly rare” because the animals tend to be “very reclusive and shy away from people.”

In May, a Dove Canyon woman's greyhound was attacked by what's believed to have been a mountain lion that hopped her 5-foot fence. The dog survived after three hours of surgery to repair the large bite wound to his neck.

In October, a parent spotted a mountain lion strolling up the ramp to Wagon Wheel Elementary School early in the morning before classes started. Students were kept inside during breaks that day and parents had to pick up non-bused students, but the lion wasn't spotted again.

There hasn't been an increase in reported sightings, however, Hughan said. And while the state's drought is forcing people to adjust their behaviors, he said it hasn't yet impacted animals, which can find water even when we can't.

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Whiting Ranch was temporarily closed after several mountain lion sightings in 2012. The park also saw the state's last deadly mountain lion attack.

Ten years ago, Mark Reynolds, 35, was mauled to death while riding along one of the park's many mountain biking trails.

A few hours later, the same mountain lion attacked cyclist Anne Hjelle as she rode nearby with a friend. The friend managed to rescue Hjelle, but not before the mountain lion mauled her neck and head.

Before that, it had been nearly 20 years since a mountain lion attacked a person in Orange County. A 5-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy were mauled in separate incidents in Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park in 1986.

The most recent attack in California was two weeks ago in Perris, when Raymond Manuel Navarro, 48, was mauled in a homeless camp along busy Highway 74. Navarro nearly died but is expected to recover.

Still, officials say chances of an attack remain low, with Fish and Wildlife reporting a person is 1,000 times more likely to be struck by lightning than attacked by a mountain lion.

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“We figure, what are the odds?” Mike Jensen said.

The Long Beach resident went mountain biking Wednesday in Whiting Ranch with Gina Redican, who also isn't too concerned about encountering a mountain lion.

“I feel like we're in their territory,” Redican said.

McKenzie Rickard, 16, of Mission Viejo was leaving Whiting Ranch after a regular ride there about a week ago when she came across a woman who decided not to enter the park after seeing signs that warned of mountain lion sightings. Rickard said she didn't see evidence of a big cat.

“Usually, I really don't think about the fact that they're out there,” Rickard said Wednesday. “I'm a little bit scared, but I still haven't seen one.”

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